Minutes – CRBA Public Meeting
March 3, 2015 – 7 to 9 p.m.
Little Trinity Church– 425 King East
Meeting Start Time: 7 p.m.
Adjourned At:
9 p.m.
Attendees
CRBA Board Present:
Alim Rhemtulla (AR), Brian Palic (BP), Matt Elliott (ME), Michele Cummings (MC), Peter Coish
(PC), Sandra Iskandar (SI), Socrates Apallas (SA), Tadeo Sanchez (TS), Thomas Junek (TJ)
CRBA Board Regrets:
Public Attendance:
Approximately 30
Minutes
Opening Remarks
•
SI welcomed everyone to the meeting and attendees provided brief introductions. SI
introduced the new board and executive positions:
o
President: Sandra Iskandar
o
Vice President: Brian Palic
o
Secretary: Matt Elliott
o
Treasurer: Michele Cummings
New Business Introduction: Corktown Kitchen
•
Matt Griffiths, chef at Corktown Kitchen (354 King Street East) provided an introduction for the
soon-to-open restaurant. They will provide quality food and an inviting atmosphere in the
former Weezie’s space.
•
Corktown Kitchen provided samples of their food for all attendees.
•
Corktown Kitchen plans to open in April 2015.
Presentation: Pan Am Path
•
James Gen Meers, Executive Director of Friends of the Pan Am Path, provided an overview of
the Pan Am Path, a legacy project for the Pan Am Games that will see a continuous,
recreational multi-use pathway extend across Toronto.
•
The path will provide a continuous 84-kilometre trail from the west end, following the Humber
River to the waterfront, then across the Martin Goodman Trail to the Don River, then up to the
Hydro Corridor before finally terminating in the east end.
Corktown Residents & Business Association
Corktown.ca
•
For Corktown, this means planned improvements to the Don River trail that connects to
Corktown Common and the Queen Street Bridge.
•
During Pan Am and ParaPan Am, the path will be animated with cultural activities as part of
an “Art Relay” from May 16 to August 15. This will include a Live Art Festival in Underpass
Park, tentatively scheduled for June 20. More details on the Live Art Festival will be presented
at future CRBA meetings.
•
For more details, visit panampath.org.
Presentation: King Street Bridge Construction, Infrastructure Ontario
•
Representatives from Infrastructure Ontario provided an update on the King Street ramp to the
Queen Street bridge, which has been closed for an extended period of time, meaning there
has been no 504 King streetcar service along King East in Corktown.
•
During construction of the flood protection landform (necessary to eliminate the risk of largescale flooding in the area), it became clear that the century-old Queen Street bridge wooden
supports would need to be upgraded before work could be completed.
•
Due to age of the bridge and safety concerns, work has been very complex and slow. (Despite
persistent rumours, the work is completely unrelated to River City condo construction.)
•
Work is currently 80% complete. IO hopes to re-open this section of the bridge in May 2015.
•
See attached presentation for further details.
Presentation: YMCA Green Roof & Community Participation
•
Sarah Beldick, assistant manager of the Cooper Koo Family Cherry Street YMCA (at Cherry &
Front, opening 2016) provided a presentation on the YMCA’s 30,000 sq. foot green roof.
•
The YMCA is collecting community feedback both online and in person to help determine a
design for the green roof.
•
A variety of uses have been proposed, including event space, active use (e.g. yoga),
educational space, social space, public gardens, etc.
•
Feedback will be collected and narrowed down to four options, after which there will be a
public vote.
•
The YMCA is also looking for volunteers to help build the Green Roof this spring. Great
opportunity for team building. You can learn more online here:
http://www.ymcagta.org/en/health-fitness-rec/our-fitness-rec-ctr/cherry/index.html
Pan Am Games Liaison Committee Update
•
SA provided an update on his activities as Corktown rep on the Pan Am Games Liaison
Committee.
•
Neighbourhoods surrounding the Pan Am Athletes’ Village are working on a Neighbourhood
Guide. Known as NAVTO2015, the guide will include maps and a list of businesses and
landmarks in Corktown and other areas. The guide will be distributed to all athletes and
visitors who attend the Games this summer.
CRBA Public Meeting Minutes
2
Corktown Residents & Business Association
•
Corktown.ca
The CRBA is currently fundraising to support the preparation and printing of the guide. You
can donate online or in person at CRBA meetings.
Community Events
•
The CRBA will have a fundraising event on St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 2015 – at Odin Café
+ Bar. A dollar from the sale of select beers will go toward the CRBA for community initiatives.
All are invited to come out for a good time.
Next Meeting
Date
April 7
Event Info
CRBA Public Meeting — 7-9 p.m., Little Trinity Church (425 King St East.)
Keep checking corktown.ca for breaking news and follow us on
CRBA Public Meeting Minutes
CorktownTO
3